The Faces of Foreign Aid
April 15-July 1, 2025: Exhibition at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I Street, SW, Washington, DC
June 1, 2025 A gathering of the Foreign Assistance community to celebrate past achievements and reimagine our future
In early January 2025, few Americans outside international development circles had ever heard of USAID. By February, the agency had been thrust into the spotlight as it became the first major target of the new Trump administration’s sweeping budget cuts. By the end of March, the world’s largest donor of global development aid had been dismantled.
Founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy during heightened Cold War tensions, USAID was established to counter Soviet influence abroad while fostering global prosperity and democracy. Over six decades, it became integral to U.S. foreign policy. USAID supported programs reduced child mortality through vaccinations, fought diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, improved education quality, promoted good governance, enhanced trade and food security, built water infrastructure, responded to natural disasters, bolstered communities’ ability to adapt to climate change and so much more—all for just 1 cent of every tax dollar. It was “soft power” that transformed lives, showcased American values, built goodwill, and kept Americans safe by promoting greater health and stability around the globe.
For two decades, I have had the privilege of documenting the stories of people whose lives have been forever changed by the kindness of Americans they have never met. Their stories landed on the desks of Congress, international aid organizations, and donors, but were seldom shared with the real stakeholders: the Americans whose generosity features so prominently on every bag of food, every generator, every backpack, every everything USAID gives—all of which bears the words: “From the American People.”
So I wanted to introduce you to just a handful of the millions of people around the world your tax dollars have helped over the years, and invite you to imagine how these cuts may ripple through their lives over the months and years to come.
Leading Camels to Water
Ethiopia | 2012
The El Dub shallow wells have long been an important source of water for pastoralists during the dry season. Water was always there and it was near the surface, but it was not easy to get at. “This used to be a small dirty water point that was just three or four holes in the ground,” says Ayanle (left), “and there were no troughs for the animals. Each herder carried his own, made of a piece of hollowed out tree trunk. With a trough that small you could water only two or three camels at a time. It might take 10 hours to water them all.”
In 2009 USAID and its partners rehabilitated the well site, installing seven cement-lined wells attached to 14 drinking troughs. Now herders can provide clean water for up to 200 camels in just one hour. Nearby households benefit from clean water, as do an estimated 7,500 animals.
USAID’s investments in resilience programs for pastoralist communities have improved livestock health, reduced veterinary costs, and boosted milk production—a critical nutritional resource for children. These initiatives have strengthened food security and livelihoods while helping communities prepare for increasingly frequent climate shocks such as droughts.
USAID/Kelley Lynch
The Council of Elders, Reborn
Ethiopia | 2007
Pastoralism as a way of life and livelihood has existed for centuries in Ethiopia, where the country’s vast drylands are well suited for it. In this harsh environment, where rainfall is too unpredictable for farming, pastoralists have developed a practical solution: their “farm” has four legs. Their herds of cattle, goats, sheep, and camels are moving farms that transform grass and water into milk and meat as they travel to where rain has fallen. This mobility is essential, allowing pastoralists and their animals to follow shifting patterns of pasture and water as part of a livelihood that has enabled people to thrive for centuries.
At the heart of this system is the wisdom and authority of elders like Dub Nora Duba, 80, the Hayu for his Borana clan. Under Borana customary law, land and water are held in common, accessible to all clan members. Traditionally, the council of elders has ensured that these natural resources are used equitably and responsibly. They resolved disputes, regulated settlement, and enforced strict rules about mobility and grazing. When disputes could not be settled locally, the Hayu acted as a judge. Punishments for misuse were severe—because in this environment, acting from self-interest threatens everyone’s survival.
For centuries, traditional institutions have enabled the Borana and other pastoralist communities to survive and thrive in the face of drought, disease, and conflict. And yet, over time, modern challenges, including overlapping systems of governance, had eroded their authority, disrupting the customary methods of natural resource management that pastoralist livelihoods rely on. By revitalizing these institutions, USAID strengthened their capacity to again take the lead in decision-making—especially around natural resource management—ensuring their communities are better able to sustain their livelihood in the face of an increasingly uncertain future.
Save the Children/Kelley Lynch
Transforming Traditions
Ethiopia | 2013
“I confess, I am the one who is responsible for the deaths of mothers and children in this community. I knew nothing about health issues. I didn’t even know what the Scriptures said about these issues, but still I insisted that women deliver at home, not at the health facility. It was my belief that Jesus’ mother, Mary, would intercede to help a woman give birth only if she delivered at home. And because they trusted me, people listened. Then, when mothers or babies died, in my ignorance, I consoled their families, saying, ‘This is God’s will. It is not something anyone could have prevented.’”
—Asmare Moges, Orthodox Priest
In 2013, an estimated 15,000 mothers in Ethiopia were dying every year from preventable childbirth complications like hemorrhage and infections—deaths that could often be avoided by delivering with skilled care at a health facility. And yet, despite being offered incentives like free maternal healthcare and ambulance services, many women chose to deliver at home due to deeply rooted traditional beliefs.
Overcoming these barriers called for innovation. World Vision brought together local government and faith leaders—including Asmare Moges—for training at local health centers. “The health workers showed us the numbers,” Asmare recalls. “They made us see that when women gave birth at home, many more died than when they delivered at the health center. Women and babies were dying because of what we were telling them, and their deaths were preventable.”
These leaders have become powerful advocates for maternal health. Their efforts have contributed to Ethiopia’s success in reducing maternal mortality by over 70% between 2000 and today—with accelerated progress after 2010—demonstrating how faith-driven development initiatives can help to drive transformative change.
World Vision/Kelley Lynch
Hidden Potential
Niger | 2016
In Niamey, Niger’s capital, 11-year-old Abdul Aziz Mounkeila dreams of becoming a doctor. His ambition is nurtured at Ecole Yantala 2, where he studies in one of 1,600 newly accessible classrooms. Alongside infrastructure improvements, teachers trained in inclusive education and sufficient braille materials make it possible for children like Abdul Aziz to thrive. Niger’s legacy of prominent blind intellectuals, civil servants and professionals also inspires hope for a more inclusive future.
But Abdul Aziz is one of the lucky ones. Many children with disabilities remain hidden. In impoverished households, they are often seen as an economic burden. Some parents resort to sending them out to beg. Others hide them at home so people won’t know they have a child with a disability. In extreme cases, children with disabilities may be left chained indoors while their guardians go out to work. Without access to education, these children face a bleak future.
Prior to recent cuts to foreign aid, the US government provided approximately 25% of education aid globally. Cuts to this funding will prove devastating for disability-inclusive education in developing countries. The termination of funding for programs that once provided critical resources for disabled students threatens to leave millions of children like Abdul Aziz hidden away at home, unable to realize their potential.
Global Partnership for Education/Kelley Lynch
Education (R)evolution
South Darfur, Sudan | 2016
Imagine trying to learn in a school made of mud or bamboo, where the heat saps your energy, rain turns the floor to mud and wind collapses the walls. In many low-resource and conflict-affected areas, this is the harsh reality for students. Classrooms often lack basic necessities like desks, forcing students to sit on dirt floors, mats, or rocks. Teaching materials are scarce; some classrooms have only one textbook, which belongs to the teacher. Learning is a painstaking process, with teachers copying lessons onto blackboards for students to transcribe into notebooks—if they’re lucky enough to have them. Teachers face huge challenges, managing crowded classrooms of 80 to 100 early-grade learners who arrive hungry after a long walk to school.
When I began documenting education initiatives 20 years ago, this was a common scene. Two decades later, much has changed. Thanks in no small part to U.S. government funding, education quality has improved globally. For just $3.95 per taxpayer per year—the cost of a cup of coffee—education programs have positively impacted nearly 120 million children across Africa, Latin America, and Asia every year. These initiatives improve teacher training, construct classrooms, provide textbooks, and collaborate with the World Food Programme to provide what is often among the greatest incentives for poor parents to send their children to school: a free meal.
The dismantling of USAID threatens to undo these decades of progress, driving up dropout rates, deepening cycles of poverty, exacerbating child marriage and human trafficking, and plunging vulnerable populations worldwide into deeper crises for years to come.
Global Partnership for Education/Kelley Lynch
When the Cows Come Home
Ethiopia | 2007
Fetching water
Ethiopia | 2013
“This is our only water source. People use it for bathing, washing their clothes, watering animals and drinking. Twice a day I walk one hour each way to fetch this water for my family. It leaves me exhausted—and afraid. All of us get sick a lot. When we go to the health center they tell us what we already know: it’s coming from the water. We spend a lot of money on medicine to get well, and then we have to drink this water and we get sick all over again.”
—Shayitu Dabata
Unsafe water is not just dirty, it’s deadly. 703 million people globally lack access to clean water. Every year more than a million people worldwide die from diarrheal diseases like cholera and tens of millions of others suffer a host of water-related ailments including liver damage and blindness.Communities that are water-poor are generally economically poor as well: families are forced to spend their resources on frequent and high medical costs; sick children miss school; work is missed due to illness. Because availability is limited to what can be carried, little is spared for proper hygiene—there isn’t enough left over to wash your hands—further adding to the already high burden of disease.
Globally, WASH programs—Water, Sanitation and Hygiene—have been a cornerstone of USAID’s efforts. Since its founding in 1961, they have provided hundreds of millions of people worldwide with access to clean water and sanitation. In the wake of the dismantling of USAID, NGOs in multiple regions across Africa and Asia, report that critical WASH services have ceased, leaving millions at risk of life threatening waterborne diseases including typhoid and cholera.
World Vision/Kelley Lynch
Got Milk?
Ethiopia | 2007
Surviving the Odds of Geography
Ethiopia | 2007
Every year, millions of children face the greatest battle of their lives: surviving their first five years of life. In sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 13 children die before their fifth birthday—a rate as much as 20 times higher than in the U.S. It’s a battle against overlapping threats: neonatal infections, birth asphyxia, pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition, and the silent killer that amplifies them all—malaria.
Tackling this challenge requires a holistic approach. For USAID this meant addressing these interconnected crises by weaving a collection of services into a unified safety net. Community health workers delivered oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea, antibiotics for pneumonia, and malaria bed nets to vulnerable families. Vaccination campaigns targeted measles and rotavirus; TB screenings, nutrition assessments, and maternal care were bundled into single visits, aligning with data-driven national health priorities.
Globally, these and other interventions have cut deaths of children under five in half since 2000; and in regions where USAID’s integrated programs took root, child survival improved faster than anywhere else. But disparities persist: sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for 57% of under-five deaths globally. And today, progress hangs by a thread. For decades, the U.S. government has been the largest donor to global health efforts. The abrupt halt in billions of dollars of funding threatens to strip care from children worldwide—putting millions of lives at risk. In March 2025, USAID estimated that this year alone, 11.2 million newborns will be impacted by halts to critical postnatal care, and 14.7 million children will be affected by cuts to treatements for pneumonia and diarrhea.
Ultimately, the question isn’t whether we can end preventable child deaths—it’s whether we’ll choose to. As global health funding falters, the world risks abandoning a generation of children to geography’s cruel lottery.
Save the Children/Kelley Lynch
Washing Away the Shame
Ethiopia | 2013
“This is my life,” says Tsehay Gebre Egziabher. “Living with a fistula, I am always leaking urine, so I have to wash my clothes several times a day. I used to feel so ashamed. I would never allow anyone to see me doing my laundry.”
Tsehay’s story is a window into the devastating consequences of inadequate maternal healthcare in rural Ethiopia and around the world. After enduring days of labor at home, community members carried Tsehay to the nearest health center on a makeshift stretcher. By the time they arrived three hours later, she was unconscious. She woke up a week later to learn that her baby had died during labor, and she had a double obstetric fistula caused by obstructed labor—there were holes between her vagina and bladder and her vagina and rectal wall that caused her to leak urine and feces. “I stayed home for a year,” she recalls. “I didn’t want anyone to see me or smell me. I wanted to die.”
In Ethiopia, an estimated 140,000 women live with untreated obstetric fistulas, with 3,750–9,000 new cases emerging annually. Awareness is central to prevention: Tsehay visits pregnant women to share her story and encourages them to deliver in a health facility—for delivering in the presence of skilled medical personnel who are trained to recognize and address the early signs of abnormal labor can be the difference between life and death.
Making childbirth safer for mothers and babies saves lives and prevents debilitating injuries. Over the past two decades, USAID has worked with countries worldwide to strengthen healthcare systems, train skilled providers, and improve emergency obstetric care, contributing to a 40% reduction in maternal mortality globally since 2000. This also means fewer fistula cases from obstructed labor—helping to make childbirth a time of hope and life, not tragedy, for mothers and babies everywhere.
World Vision/Kelley Lynch
From Flight to Fight: Refugees in Crisis
Ethiopia | 2014
In 2014, 17-year-old Nyawech (in orange) arrived at an Ethiopian refugee camp with her six siblings after fleeing the violence in South Sudan. Their harrowing journey, spanning weeks of nighttime travel with little food or water, epitomizes the plight of millions displaced by conflict. Eleven years later, the number of refugees has more than doubled, with over 43 million people displaced worldwide. Eighty percent of these refugees are women and children. Unable to work in host countries, most rely on international aid to meet their basic needs for food, water, healthcare, sanitation and education.
The costs are staggering. In 2014, water alone in Nyawech’s camp cost $0.38 per person per day, which sounds reasonable enough. But with 46,000 refugees to provide for, that added up to almost $17,500 a day.
Cuts to USAID and funding for emergency food aid provided by the World Food Program threaten millions of lives. In Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, for example, food rations have been reduced to just over 6 pounds of sorghum and beans per person per month; water delivery has stopped, forcing those unable to buy water from private sources to consume unsafe groundwater that puts them at risk of diseases like cholera; medical facilities lack essential medicines and supplies; and schools that once offered hope now require fees from residents with no income.
The future for refugees is increasingly bleak. While the average stay in these “states of limbo” approaches 10 to 15 years, some refugees spend decades in camps. As conflicts persist and climate change drives further displacement, the global community faces mounting challenges in supporting these vulnerable populations and finding lasting solutions to their plight.
World Vision/Kelley Lynch
The Virus Hunters
Bangladesh | 2022
More than half a million live birds go through markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city, every day. USAID support allowed Dr. Ashish Kumar Kundu and a small team of virus detectives to wage a war against a microscopic enemy that is all too common in live bird markets across Asia and Africa: avian influenza. Armed with cotton swabs and test tubes, they regularly collected samples from some of the city’s 600+ live bird markets to assess the spillover risk to humans.
Today, the work of Dr. Kundu and other virus hunters across the world could mean the difference between a localized outbreak and a global pandemic—and yet deep cuts to USAID have shuttered surveillance programs for bird flu and other diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans in 49 countries.
These cuts come at a critical time, with the H5N1 strain of bird flu now affecting 485 bird species across six continents—along with countless poultry, dairy cows, and wildlife across the US. In 2024, avian influenza sickened 66 Americans and caused one death—numbers that are significant in context: only one case was recorded over the previous two years.
Ensuring that vulnerable nations like Bangladesh are able to detect and contain avian influenza outbreaks makes all of us safer—one swab at a time.
USAID/Kelley Lynch
Cultivating Self-Sufficiency
Ethiopia | 2014
Danchile Kamayo and her family were surviving on less than a dollar a day when she was invited to take part in a USAID program to help people lift themselves out of extreme poverty.
Beans were her ticket to a better life. The program provided Danchile with improved seed, better farming techniques, and small business know-how. Danchile and her husband did the rest.
In their first season, the couple produced 600 kg of beans. With the profit, they bought an ox to pull their plow, and rented another piece of land to grow corn. With the money from the corn harvest, they bought a second ox and rented more land—this time for potatoes. The profit from the potato harvest enabled Danchile to send her oldest daughter to hairstyling school and open a salon for her in the village. Income from subsequent harvests allowed the couple to further diversify their income, fattening goats and planting peppers. The profits from these activities enabled them to construct a new house and replace their dirt floor with cement, reducing health risks for the entire family.
“I’m so happy with our new life,” Danchile told me. “It fills me with joy to see what we have created. Standing here, I can envision an even brighter future. I feel like we’re catching up on what we’ve been missing all of our lives. Thank you.”
CARE/Kelley Lynch
A Little Relief
Ethiopia | 2009
When I met Sankara Jemale and her family, including her two young grandaughters, they were surviving on the food aid they received in return for her husband and son’s participation in a community works program that was part of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Nets Program (PSNP), supported by USAID and other donors. The food they received allowed them to keep going. “At least when we have food, life is better and we can work harder,” Sankara told me.
Since 2005, Ethiopia’s safety net has been a critical lifeline for millions of Ethiopians facing chronic food insecurity. It has helped millions of the country’s most vulnerable households meet their basic food needs through seasonal food and/or cash transfers in return for work on locally identified public works projects that build community assets and generate economic benefits. In farming areas, this might be projects that promote soil conservation or plant trees; in pastoralist areas, it may mean constructing wells or improving rangeland management. The program simultaneously addresses some of the root causes of hunger and chronic poverty while increasing households’ ability to withstand droughts and other shocks. As participants advance towards greater security, stability and self-reliance they “graduate” from the program.
The rapid dismantling of USAID has severely disrupted Ethiopia’s PSNP and broader humanitarian operations. With food aid halted, child malnutrition rates exceed emergency levels in some regions. Aid agencies warn that without urgent restoration of funding and aid operations, widespread hunger and preventable deaths—especially among children—are imminent.
Save the Children/Kelley Lynch
Making the Rounds
Bangladesh | 2022
A pulmonologist and hospital staff make rounds at the One-Stop TB Service Center in Dhaka, where tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death. TB, the deadliest infectious disease globally, kills over 1.3 million people annually—deaths that are entirely preventable. If treated early and medications are completed without interruption, TB is 100% curable.
Until 2024, USAID was a major donor to global TB control programs, contributing an estimated $250 million a year. Since 2000, these efforts have saved an estimated 79 million lives. However, recent cuts to USAID have jeopardized progress, leaving gaps in research, prevention, screening, and treatment. Drug supply chains, laboratory services, and surveillance systems have been severely impacted. Experts warn that if we do not restore global funding for TB programs, a projected 2 million people will die every year from the disease, wiping out all of the progress that’s been made over the last 10 years.
The crisis is particularly acute in high-burden countries like Bangladesh, which reports 361,000 new cases annually and 115 deaths every day—making it among the country’s leading causes of death.
It is worth noting that these programs also protect Americans. Lowering rates of global transmission helps keep the number of cases in this country in check. If TB and drug-resistant TB cases in the US were to rise to global averages, the cost of treating TB in the US alone would rise to $11 billion every year.
USAID/Kelley Lynch
A Shot in the Arm for Global Health
Bangladesh | 2022
The first COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh was administered on January 27, 2021, with mass vaccination beginning on February 7, 2021. By the end of 2022, over 70% of Bangladesh’s population had been fully vaccinated. This success was driven by strong local commitment, effective government coordination, and international support, particularly through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—a trusted partner in the country’s highly successful childhood immunization efforts since 2001.
Gavi is a public-private partnership dedicated to expanding access to vaccines in low-income countries. Since its founding in 2000, Gavi has facilitated vaccinations for over one billion children globally, preventing an estimated 18 million deaths from diseases like measles and polio. During the pandemic, Gavi broadened its scope to include COVID-19 vaccines for both children and adults, distributing hundreds of millions of doses worldwide through initiatives like COVAX.
The United States has played a pivotal role in Gavi’s success, contributing approximately 13% of its budget since inception. In March 2025, the Trump administration announced that it was cutting U.S. funding for Gavi, a move that could result in 75 million children missing routine vaccinations over the next five years, potentially leading to as many as 1.2 million child deaths. These cuts threaten to reverse decades of progress in reducing child mortality and significantly increase the risk of future global disease outbreaks.
USAID/Kelley Lynch
Big Drama
Bangladesh | 2010
It begins like any other day. Men fish in the pond, women collect water, and children in school huddle over their books. Then, a voice crackles over the radio: a cyclone warning. Flags are hoisted over the village, signaling the storm’s approach. As warnings escalate from levels one to four, volunteers alert neighbors. Some villagers gather their important papers, bury their dry food, secure their wells, and move to the cyclone shelter. Others hesitate, even as three flags—signaling grave danger—snap in the rising wind. When the cyclone strikes, chaos reigns. Water sprays across the village as trees and houses collapse under the storm’s force. Those who delayed scramble for safety. Clutching their children, they run for the shelter, but many never make it. Their bodies lie where they fell. And though thousands of people are watching, no one makes a move to help. Because this is a simulation.
In a time before most people in Bangladesh had a TV, much less a cell phone, USAID’s Cyclone Preparedness Program put on cyclone simulations—grand productions featuring a small purpose-built village populated by 200 actors from the community who rehearsed for days. The stage was a small locally constructed village on a nearby field. Ropes attached to purpose-planted trees mimicked gale-force winds; fire hoses attached to a local firetruck and pointed at the sky created torrential rain. The audience learned by watching: which choices saved lives and which led to tragedy.
Such lessons have been vital in Bangladesh, where cyclones historically caused massive loss of life. Over past decades, improved preparedness measures, early warning systems and infrastructure like cyclone shelters has resulted in a more than 100-fold decrease in cyclone-related deaths.
Save the Children/Kelley Lynch
From Crisis to Resilience
Ethiopia | 2008
“I lost 30 of my 40 cattle in the last drought. Five more died this year. The three I have at the feeding center might survive—but how do I feed 14 people with just three cows? If my animals die, I die. I live in the bush. Livestock are all I know.”
—Wako Bika, 59
In Ethiopia’s arid lowlands, 12–15 million pastoralists depend on livestock for their survival. Rain sustains pastures, ensuring healthy animals and milk. In 2008, back-to-back rainy seasons failed, triggering a devastating drought. As hundreds of thousands of livestock sickened and died, the tens of thousands of children who rely on their milk faced acute malnutrition as poverty rates among pastoralist communities soared to nearly 50%.
USAID raced to save lives and livelihoods: almost 5 million people required urgent food assistance, including 75,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition. For the animals, USAID-funded programs established feeding centers and distributed emergency fodder. While almost 7000 cattle were saved, interventions failed to reach sufficient animals in time to prevent catastrophic herd losses.
In 2011, when the next severe drought hit, USAID and pastoralist communities were prepared. Aid was pre-positioned, enabling a rapid response. And longer term development interventions implemented after 2008 had already improved communities’ resilience and readiness. Despite being one of the worst droughts in 60 years, the threat to Ethiopian pastoralists was minimized thanks in large part to USAID.
Save the Children/Kelley Lynch
Faith in Action
Ethiopia | 2013
Years ago, in this part of Southern Ethiopia, interreligious tensions ran high. Places of worship were burned, graves desecrated. In 2010, World Vision approached leaders of the five faith groups in the area with the idea of an interfaith forum. The leaders welcomed the idea, seeing it as an opportunity to address these challenges. Early trainings on interreligious understanding fostered mutual respect. Members of the community followed their lead. “When we model cooperation, our communities follow,” says Muslim leader
Ali Hussein.
Subsequent trainings empowered faith leaders to expand their focus, and ignited a movement rooted in shared spiritual values. They tackled child labor, ended forced marriage, and ensured equal opportunities for boys and girls in school enrollment. Their most profound victory was one that had long resisted efforts at change: female genital cutting (FGC). For years the government had urged people to stop this harmful traditional practice, but few listened—until the forum got involved. “Before, 99 percent of all girls were cut,” says Pastor Tafesse Berhane. “Now, 99 percent are not cut, and we are working to make that 100 percent.” Asked what changed, Pastor Tafesse says, “When leaders of the different faiths spoke with one voice, telling their followers the practice was unacceptable, change happened—and then government enforcement gave weight to our message.”
This transformation underscores a global truth: 80% of the world’s people claim a connection with a specific religious belief. As such, faith leaders possess unparalleled influence when it comes to shaping beliefs and practices. When they speak, people listen and transformation becomes unstoppable, turning once-impossible goals into shared victories.
World Vision/Kelley Lynch
Eggonomics
Tanzania | 2017
Poultry farming is about far more than just raising chickens; it’s a source of income, nutrition, and empowerment for millions of women worldwide. “With chickens, you don’t have to worry about where your next meal will come from,” explains poultry farmer Hasina Begum. “We eat eggs almost every day, and once I have enough, I can sell some for extra income.” This critical source of affordable protein allows women to support their families while gaining financial independence.
For many women, poultry farming is uniquely accessible. It requires minimal land and investment, making it an ideal livelihood for those balancing household responsibilities. Women often reinvest up to 90% of their earnings into their families—improving nutrition, education, and health access for their children. Beyond economic benefits, poultry farming empowers women to take control of decision-making in their households and communities.
Historically, USAID-supported initiatives have been instrumental in empowering women through poultry farming. Vaccination campaigns have reduced devastating losses from Avian Influenza, Newcastle disease, and fowlpox; access to improved breeds, affordable feed, and essential training have made poultry farming into a tool for resilience and empowerment for millions of women farmers worldwide.
World Vision/Kelley Lynch
Salt’s Alchemy: Turning Hides into Opportunity
Ethiopia | 2012
Ethiopia is home to Africa’s largest livestock population: over 70 million cattle, 42 million sheep, and 52 million goats. Their hides and skins are a common sight—staked and dried outside homes, they represent an important additional income stream for many families. Near hubs like Bahir Dar, warehouse employees salt the skins and store them in piles until they are purchased by tanneries, sometimes weeks later. Without refrigeration, this traditional preservation method prevents decay, but improper techniques—uneven application, reused salt—left hides stiff, defective and even rotting before purchase. This was wasted potential in a country where livestock accounts for almost 20% of GDP.
As part of a larger project with the Government of Ethiopia to improve practices across the livestock sector, USAID worked with researchers and producers to refine salting into a precise science—transforming stopgap methods into value-added steps that reduced losses and enhanced hide quality. Similar improvements strengthened milk and meat value chains.
In a nation where tens of millions rely on livestock for their livelihoods, these improvements created rural jobs, improved food security, and transformed Ethiopia’s unmatched livestock resources into global market opportunities. By improving every part of the process—from raising animals to selling products—Ethiopia turned waste and inefficiencies into opportunities, helping families, communities and the country’s economy thrive.
USAID/Kelley Lynch
School or Work?
Nepal / 2013
Democracy Starts Here
Sierra Leone | 2012
It was a day of high drama. Student government elections at Ahmadiya Muslim Primary School unfolded with all intensity of a national contest—and then some. Over three hours, the two main candidates delivered speeches, officials manned polling stations, and students queued to vote. Tension peaked as ballots were counted: tears rolled down twelve year old Abu’s face as he and his rival Kadiatu stood side by side. “I just knew she would win,” he later said. When the final tally pushed him ahead, the children hoisted him onto their shoulders, dancing and singing and chanting his name. After a few rounds of the schoolyard, Abu and his cabinet readied themselves to address their fellow students. For Abu, there was one important task on his mind:
“When I won I thought about what we learned in peace education. We are all one and it is not good for us to have conflict. That is why I didn’t ignore Kadiatu. I brought her into my cabinet. And when we stood up in front of everyone I held her hand. She was crying. I told her not to feel bad. She is the Vice President. So if I am in charge today, I will give her time to be in charge tomorrow. We will work together. She is my sister because we both attend the same school.”
By the end of Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war (1991–2002), schools lay in ruins, teachers had fled, and a generation of children had lost their classrooms. In this context, international partners including UNICEF and USAID supported programs to empower young leaders to resolve conflicts, bridge divides, prioritize collective progress and foster the inclusive governance needed to rebuild a fractured nation. “Learning changes your life,” says Abu. “One day I will be more than the president of my school—I want to be the President of Sierra Leone.”
UNICEF/Kelley Lynch
The Promise of a New Day
Ethiopia | 2013